The library program supports the school district’s mission of educating its students to become caring, respectful, knowledgeable, and responsible 21st century citizens. The program helps students utilize the power of technology to explore a world of new ideas and information, and provides students with the skills necessary to become effective users of information. The school library provides both physical and intellectual access to an organized collection of resources in a variety of formats. To ensure access to quality library collections that support teaching and learning, a systematic plan for accessing and building library collections is essential.
The plan has been developed to assess and build quality library collections that offer a balance of print, multimedia, and digital resources. Collection development is the ongoing process of identifying strengths and weaknesses of library media collections. This process provides a vehicle for demonstrating that budget allocations are used thoughtfully and that library media collections meet the informational and independent reading needs of students. Librarians also support the idea that the collection is developed and evaluated collaboratively to support the curriculum and meet students’ diverse learning needs.
The collection development plan has three components: 1) analysis of the school library learning community; 2) assessment of the library collection; and 3) selection and acquisition of materials.
II. Analysis of the School Library Learning Community
A viable collection development plan must be based upon an analysis of the student population, the school, and the school community that the library media program serves. System wide there may be similarities among library collections but each school has unique needs to be met. An analysis will provide valuable information on your school learning community. Refer to tools and documents in the library media web page for analysis suggestions.
III. Assessment of the Library Media Collection
Collection assessment determines the quality of the existing library collection. It is an organized method for collecting statistics on the age of the collection, the number of titles in the collection, and the ability of the collection to meet curricular and independent reading needs of the learning community. See materials below for an overview of a five-year assessment plan. A good collection development plan must include the evaluation and weeding of materials.The process of weeding is a critical part of assessing the collectionas it helps to keep collections relevant, accurate, and useful.The "Criteria for the Selection of Instructional Materials" is applied when weeding materials. Further weeding information, including suggested timelines and guidance as to the disposal of materials, is included at the end of this document.
IV. Selection and Acquisition of Materials
The selection and acquisition of new library materials will be based upon the needs of each library as determined by the collection assessment process and upon the availability of funding. The Library Media Collection Development Plan will help ensure that all school library media centers engage in ongoing collection development in order to create and maintain a collection that supports teaching and learning.
V. Five-Year Assessment Plan – Overview
Year 1 v Complete analysis of learning community v Complete collection evaluation and assessment. Factors to consider are age of collection, number of items, frequency of use, and overall quality v Select priority areas for five-year plan. v Submit report to building principal and district library media supervisor.
Years 2-5
Weed, select, and acquire materials for identified yearly priority areas.
At the conclusion of year five, send evidence of change and improvement to building principal and district library media supervisor.
VI. Weeding and Disposal of Discarded Materials
Continuous weeding of the collection is a responsibility of the school library media specialist. Reasons for discard include: out of date information, inaccurate information, materials in need of repair or replacement, materials no longer circulating, or items promoting stereotypes. The rule of thumb for non-fiction materials is 10 years from publication. However, some Dewey categories such as 500s, 600s, 700s, and 900s may need to be reviewed more frequently for currency and accuracy.
Books and instructional materials deemed no longer useable must be withdrawn from the county database. Once withdrawn, materials are placed in a box, sealed with a lid, and marked “Withdrawn Library Materials.” Ordinarily these items are picked up two times each year: summer and at the end of the first semester. The surplus pick up schedule is located on the Department of Materials Management website. It is possible to arrange for a special pick-up at other times. The school secretary and building services manager should be informed of where these items are located.
The chart below provides a suggested weeding schedule based on a 10-year cycle. It may be best to begin using this schedule after you complete your initial five-year collection assessment, though it is possible to adapt this schedule to fit the assessment plan.
SAMPLE WEEDING SCHEDULE
Year ending in:
Class
Interval
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
000
5 years
x
x
100
5 years
x
x
200
5 years
x
x
300
3 years
x
x
x
400
5 years
x
x
500
2 years
x
x
x
x
x
600
2 years
x
x
x
x
x
700
5 years
x
x
800
5 years
x
x
900
3 years
x
x
x
92/B
3 years
x
x
x
Easy
5 years
x
x
Fiction
5 years
x
x
Kerby, Mona. “Weeding Schedule.” Collection Development for the School Library Media Program. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, 2006. p21.
Sources: Created by Kate Kennedy, based on policy adapted from Frederick County and Montgomery County Public Schools. Kerby, Mona. “Weeding Schedule.” Collection Development for the School Library Media Program. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, 2006. p21.
Collection Development and Weeding Guidelines
I. Introduction
The library program supports the school district’s mission of educating its students to become caring, respectful, knowledgeable, and responsible 21st century citizens. The program helps students utilize the power of technology to explore a world of new ideas and information, and provides students with the skills necessary to become effective users of information. The school library provides both physical and intellectual access to an organized collection of resources in a variety of formats. To ensure access to quality library collections that support teaching and learning, a systematic plan for accessing and building library collections is essential.The plan has been developed to assess and build quality library collections that offer a balance of print, multimedia, and digital resources. Collection development is the ongoing process of identifying strengths and weaknesses of library media collections. This process provides a vehicle for demonstrating that budget allocations are used thoughtfully and that library media collections meet the informational and independent reading needs of students. Librarians also support the idea that the collection is developed and evaluated collaboratively to support the curriculum and meet students’ diverse learning needs.
The collection development plan has three components: 1) analysis of the school library learning community; 2) assessment of the library collection; and 3) selection and acquisition of materials.
II. Analysis of the School Library Learning Community
A viable collection development plan must be based upon an analysis of the student population, the school, and the school community that the library media program serves. System wide there may be similarities among library collections but each school has unique needs to be met. An analysis will provide valuable information on your school learning community. Refer to tools and documents in the library media web page for analysis suggestions.III. Assessment of the Library Media Collection
Collection assessment determines the quality of the existing library collection. It is an organized method for collecting statistics on the age of the collection, the number of titles in the collection, and the ability of the collection to meet curricular and independent reading needs of the learning community. See materials below for an overview of a five-year assessment plan.A good collection development plan must include the evaluation and weeding of materials.The process of weeding is a critical part of assessing the collectionas it helps to keep collections relevant, accurate, and useful.The "Criteria for the Selection of Instructional Materials" is applied when weeding materials. Further weeding information, including suggested timelines and guidance as to the disposal of materials, is included at the end of this document.
IV. Selection and Acquisition of Materials
The selection and acquisition of new library materials will be based upon the needs of each library as determined by the collection assessment process and upon the availability of funding.The Library Media Collection Development Plan will help ensure that all school library media centers engage in ongoing collection development in order to create and maintain a collection that supports teaching and learning.
V. Five-Year Assessment Plan – Overview
Year 1v Complete analysis of learning community
v Complete collection evaluation and assessment. Factors to consider are age of collection, number of items, frequency of use, and overall quality
v Select priority areas for five-year plan.
v Submit report to building principal and district library media supervisor.
Years 2-5
VI. Weeding and Disposal of Discarded Materials
Continuous weeding of the collection is a responsibility of the school library media specialist. Reasons for discard include: out of date information, inaccurate information, materials in need of repair or replacement, materials no longer circulating, or items promoting stereotypes. The rule of thumb for non-fiction materials is 10 years from publication. However, some Dewey categories such as 500s, 600s, 700s, and 900s may need to be reviewed more frequently for currency and accuracy.Books and instructional materials deemed no longer useable must be withdrawn from the county database. Once withdrawn, materials are placed in a box, sealed with a lid, and marked “Withdrawn Library Materials.” Ordinarily these items are picked up two times each year: summer and at the end of the first semester. The surplus pick up schedule is located on the Department of Materials Management website. It is possible to arrange for a special pick-up at other times. The school secretary and building services manager should be informed of where these items are located.
The chart below provides a suggested weeding schedule based on a 10-year cycle. It may be best to begin using this schedule after you complete your initial five-year collection assessment, though it is possible to adapt this schedule to fit the assessment plan.
SAMPLE WEEDING SCHEDULE
Sources:
Created by Kate Kennedy, based on policy adapted from Frederick County and Montgomery County Public Schools.
Kerby, Mona. “Weeding Schedule.” Collection Development for the School Library Media Program. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, 2006. p21.